# US 12,192,095 B2 · Maintaining a set of links associated with a link aggregation group to facilitate provisioning or updating of a customer edge device > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 12,192,095 B2 - Document ID: US12192095B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 18/306,279 - Filed: 2023-04-25 - Published: 2023-08-17 - Granted: 2025-01-07 - Earliest claimed: 2020-12-04 - Assignees: Juniper Networks, Inc. - Applicants: Juniper Networks, Inc. - Inventors: Selvakumar Sivaraj; Sushant Kumar; Bharat M. Gaonkar - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US12192095B2 ## CPC - H04L 45/245: {Link aggregation, e.g. trunking} - H04L 12/413: with random access, e.g. carrier-sense multiple-access with collision detection [CSMA-CD] - H04L 45/22: {Alternate routing} - H04L 45/28: using route fault recovery - H04L 45/66: {Layer 2 routing, e.g. in Ethernet based MAN's} - Y02D 30/50: in wire-line communication networks, e.g. low power modes or reduced link rate - H04L: TRANSMISSION OF DIGITAL INFORMATION, e.g. TELEGRAPHIC COMMUNICATION (arrangements common to telegraphic and telephonic communication H04M) - Y02D: CLIMATE CHANGE MITIGATION TECHNOLOGIES IN INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGIES [ICT], I.E. INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGIES AIMING AT THE REDUCTION OF THEIR OWN ENERGY USE ## Abstract In some implementations, a provider edge device associated with a link aggregation group (LAG) may maintain, according to a link aggregation control protocol (LACP), a set of links that connect the PE device to a consumer edge device. The provider edge device may determine that the provider edge device and another provider edge device associated with the LAG are not receiving link aggregation control protocol data units (LACPDUs) from the consumer edge device. The provider edge device may cause the set of links to have a maintain LAG status, which causes the provider edge device to keep up the set of links and to cease maintaining the set of links according to the LACP. The provider edge device may route, based on causing the set of links to have the maintain LAG status, one or more packets to or from the consumer edge device via the set of links. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A method, comprising: determining, by a provider edge device, that the provider edge device is not receiving link aggregation control protocol data units (LACPDUs) from a consumer edge device, associated with a link aggregation group (LAG), via a link that connects the provider edge device to the consumer edge device; causing, by the provider edge device and based on determining that the provider edge device is not receiving LACPDUs from the consumer edge device, the link to have a maintain LAG status, wherein causing the link to have the maintain LAG status permits the provider edge device to route one or more packets to or from the consumer edge device via the link; and routing, by the provider edge device and based on causing the link to have the maintain LAG status, one or more packets to or from the consumer edge device via the link. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, further comprising: determining that another provider edge device is not receiving LACPDUs from the consumer edge device. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein causing the link to have the maintain LAG status causes the provider edge device to keep up the link and to cease maintaining the link according to a receiving link aggregation protocol (LACP). ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the consumer edge device is multi-homed with the provider edge device over a network. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, further comprising: receiving LACPDUs to maintain the link that comprises the LAG. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the provider edge device generates and sends messages to other provider edge devices associated with the LAG. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein causing the link to have the maintain LAG status comprises: identifying an entry in a data structure, wherein the entry identifies the link and a status of the link; and updating the entry of the data structure to indicate the maintain LAG status for the link. ### Claim 8 A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing a set of instructions, the set of instructions comprising: one or more instructions that, when executed by one or more processors of a provider edge device, cause the provider edge device to: route one or more packets to or from a consumer edge device via a link; determine, after routing a packet to or from the consumer edge device via the link, that the provider edge device or another provider edge device is receiving link aggregation control protocol data units (LACPDUs) from the consumer edge device; and cause, based on determining that the provider edge device or the other provider edge device is receiving LACPDUs from the consumer edge device, the link to cease having a maintain link aggregation group (LAG) status, wherein causing the link to cease having the maintain LAG status causes the provider edge device to cease keeping up the link and to maintain the link according to a receiving link aggregation control protocol (LACP). ### Claim 9 (depends on 8) The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 8, wherein the one or more instructions, that cause the link to cease having the LAG status, cause the provider edge device to: cause the link to cease having to maintain the LAG status by preventing the link from a LAG from being torn down. ### Claim 10 (depends on 8) The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 8, wherein the consumer edge device is multi-homed with the provider edge device over a network. ### Claim 11 (depends on 8) The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 8, wherein the one or more instructions, that cause the link to cease having the maintain LAG status, cause the provider edge device to: identify an entry in a data structure associated with a LAG, wherein the entry identifies the link and the maintain LAG status for the link; and update the entry of the data structure to remove the maintain LAG status for the link. ### Claim 12 (depends on 8) The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 8, wherein the one or more instructions further cause the provider edge device to: determine that the other provider edge device is not receiving LACPDUs from the consumer edge device. ### Claim 13 (depends on 8) The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 8, wherein the one or more instructions, that determine that the provider edge device or another provider edge device is receiving LACPDUs from the consumer edge device, cause the provider edge device to: receive a number of LACPDUs from the consumer edge device, determine that the number of LACPDUs satisfies a threshold; and determine, based on determining that the number of LACPDUs satisfies the threshold, that the provider edge device is receiving LACPDUs from the consumer edge device. ### Claim 14 (depends on 8) The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 8, wherein the one or more instructions, that cause the link to cease having the maintain LAG status, cause the provider edge device to: cause the link to be maintained by the provider edge device according to the LACP. ### Claim 15 A first provider edge device comprising: one or more processors to: determine that the first provider edge device and a second provider edge device are not receiving link aggregation control protocol data units (LACPDUs) from a consumer edge device, wherein the first provider edge device is connected to the consumer edge device via a link of a link aggregation group (LAG); cause, based on the determination, the link to maintain LAG status, wherein causing the link to maintain the LAG status causes the first provider edge device to keep up the link and to cease maintaining the link according to a receiving link aggregation control protocol (LACP); and route, based on causing the link to have the maintain LAG status, one or more packets to or from the consumer edge device via the link. ### Claim 16 (depends on 15) The first provider edge device of claim 15, wherein the one or more packets are associated with one or more file images for provisioning or updating the consumer edge device. ### Claim 17 (depends on 15) The first provider edge device of claim 15, wherein the one or more processors, to determine that the first provider edge device and the second provider edge device are not receiving LACPDUs from the consumer edge device, are to: determine that the first provider edge device has not received an LACPDU from the consumer edge device via the first set of links for at least a particular amount of time; determine that the particular amount of time is greater than an LACPDU time-out interval; and determine, based on determining that the particular amount of time is greater than the LACPDU time-out interval, that the first provider edge device and the second provider edge device are not receiving LACPDUs from the consumer edge device. ### Claim 18 (depends on 15) The first provider edge device of claim 15, wherein the one or more processors, to determine that the first provider edge device and the second provider edge device are not receiving LACPDUs from the consumer edge device, are to: determine that the second provider edge device is not receiving LACPDUs from the consumer edge device based on a message from the second provider edge device that the second provider edge device is not receiving LACPDUs from the consumer edge device. ### Claim 19 (depends on 15) The first provider edge device of claim 15, herein the one or more processors, to determine that the first provider edge device and the second provider edge device are not receiving LACPDUs from the consumer edge device, are to: determine that the first provider edge device is not receiving LACPDUs from the consumer edge device based on an amount of time since the first provider edge device received an LACPDU being greater than an LACPDU time-out interval. ### Claim 20 (depends on 15) The first provider edge device of claim 15, wherein the one or more processors, to cause the link to maintain LAG status, are to: identify, based on determining that the first provider edge device and the second provider edge device are not receiving LACPDUs from the consumer edge device, an Internet protocol (IP) address of the first provider edge device and an IP address of the second provider edge device; and update an entry of a data structure associated with the LAG that indicates that a status of the link is to maintain LAG status based on the IP address of the first provider edge device and the IP address of the second provider edge device.